Question follow-through · 105377
Magistrates' Courts
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make it his policy to reopen local magistrate courts that have been closed to help clear the court case backlog.
About this written question
A written question asks a government minister for information in writing. Parliament publishes the question and any answer.
- Answering body
- Ministry of Justice
- Tabled
- 13 Jan 2026
- Target answer date
- 15 Jan 2026
- Answer
- 23 Jan 2026 · 10 calendar days after tabling
Elapsed calendar days describe the record timeline, not whether Parliament considers an answer on time.
More questions by this MP on Justice and policing
- Prison Accommodation · 20 Feb 2026
- Legal Aid Scheme: Foreign Nationals · 20 Feb 2026
- Legal Aid Scheme: Foreign Nationals · 20 Feb 2026
- Sexual Offences: Criminal Proceedings · 18 Mar 2026
- Prisons: Overcrowding · 19 May 2026
Shared topic keywords suggest a connection; they do not establish a follow-up.
Votes on this topic
- Opposition Day: Early release of prisoners · 7 Jul 2026
These Commons divisions share a topic label. The question did not necessarily lead to a vote.
Recorded timeline
13 Jan 2026
Question tabled
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make it his policy to reopen local magistrate courts that have been closed to help clear the court case backlog.
15 Jan 2026
Target answer date
Date supplied by the official written-questions record.
23 Jan 2026
Answer published
50% of magistrates’ courts were closed under previous Governments between 2010 and 2020.Estate capacity is not a limiting factor to sitting the funded days in the magistrates courts. In other words, we are investing in more court staff, legal aid and judg...
Official data retrieved 28 Sept 2026.
Later records
Possible follow-up questions
Strong links require the same MP, department and exact heading. Other same-department questions are shown as unreviewed candidates, not as confirmed follow-ups. No debate link is asserted unless a stable source relationship exists.
Prison Accommodation
20 Feb 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of available prison spaces.
Legal Aid Scheme: Foreign Nationals
20 Feb 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department hold data on the number of foreign nationals who have received legal aid.
Legal Aid Scheme: Foreign Nationals
20 Feb 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his Department will provide an estimate of the total cost of legal aid for foreign nationals in the last 5 years.
Sexual Offences: Criminal Proceedings
18 Mar 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to improve support in the court system for victims of (a) rape and (b) sexual violence.
Prisons: Overcrowding
19 May 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent steps his Department has taken to tackle overcrowding in prisons.
Prisons: Drugs and Violence
19 May 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to tackle (a) violence and (b) drug use in prisons.
Prison Officers: Labour Turnover
19 May 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to improve the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of prison officers.
Prison Officers: Conditions of Employment and Health
19 May 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to improve (a) wellbeing and (b) working conditions for prison officers.
Prison Accommodation
19 May 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to increase prison capacity.
Prisons: Overcrowding
19 May 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of overcrowding in prisons on (a) prisoner violence and (b) attacks on prison staff.
Prisoners' Release
8 Jun 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will outline his plans for increasing the number of early prison releases.
Prisoners' Release
8 Jun 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of the early release of offenders on victims of (a) violent crime and (b) domestic violence.